Pivoted car-step.



Nb. 864,848. PATENTED SEPT. 3, 1907.

' R M LAMB PIVOTED GAR STEP. .urmouxox r'nnn D120. 24, 1905.

2 SHEETS-RHEET 1.

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ATTORNEYS N 848. PATENTED SBPTLB 1907.

0 I R. M. LAMB.

PIVOTED OAR STEP.

APPLICATION mam DEO.24. 190s.

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ROBERT MITCHELL LAMB, OF WOODBINE, GEORGIA.

PIVO'IED GAR-STEP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 3, 1907'.

Application filed December 24, 1906. Serial No- 349,322.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT l\/II'J.CHELL LAMB, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Woodbine, in the county of Camden and State ofGeorgia, have invented a new and useful Pivoted Oar-Step, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention has relation to pivoted car steps and it consists in thenovel construction and arrangement of its parts as hereinafter shown anddescribed.

The object of the invention is to provide a supplemental step which ispivoted to the usual steps of a railway car and which is adapted to beswung down and used in combination with the regular steps to avoid thenecessity of placing and handling platform stools. When not in use thestep may be swung up and retained out of the way thus avoiding obstacleswhich might be presented or encountered along the way. EThe deviceconsists primarily of a shaft which is journaled at, the lower end of astair casing and the said pivoted step is fixed to said shaft and swingsas the same rotates. The shaft is provided at its rear end with a gearwheel which meshes with a gear segment carried bya lever which isfulcrumed to the rear side of the stair casing. A spring actuated pawlis carried by said lever and enters a notch provided in a guide when thestep is to be maintained in elevated position. A catch is provided forholding the step in elevated position, also catches are provided forholding the step in lowered position. Means is provided for liberatingthe step from the said catch mechanism just in advance of turning orswinging the same.

In the accompanying drawing:Figure 1 is a rear edge elevation of thesteps showing the pivoted step in its lowermost position. Fig. 2 is arear side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view ofthe same and Fig. 4 is a detailed sectional view of a catch for thepivoted step.

The shaft 1 is journaled at the lower end of the stair casing 2. Saidshaft is provided at its end and upon the rear side of said casing witha gear Wheel 3 which is fixed to the shaft. The lever 4 is fulcrumed tothe rear side of the casing 2 and is provided with a gear segment 5which meshes with the gear wheel 3. The segmental guide 6 lies over thelever 4 and is provided near its upper end with a notch 7. The springactuated pawl 8 is mounted upon the lever 4 and is adapted to enter thenotch 7 when the lever 4 is in its highest position. The supplementalstep 9 is mounted at the upper ends of its sides to the said shaft 1 andis arranged to swing in a vertical plane below the fixed steps. Thebearings 10 of the supplemental step are provided with the elongatedslots 11 which receive the pins 12, which in turn are fixed to theshaft 1. Consequently the said supplemental step does not swingpositively with the rotation of the shaft 1 until the pins 12 arrive atthe ends of the slots 11. The cross-rod 13 is attached at its end to thesides of the supplemental step. The arm 14 is fixed to the shaft 1 andis provided with an elongated opening 15 which receives the rod 13. Saidopening 15 is disposed in an arc with the shalt 1 as a center. The link16 is pivoted at one end to the arm 14 and at its opposite end to acatch 17. The said catch 17 is pivotally attached to the casting 18which is mounted upon the upper side of the supplemental step. Thespring 19 is located in the said casting 18 and bears against the end ofthe catch 17. The tension of the said spring is such as to have atendency to maintain the opposite end of the said catch in its lowermostposition. The keeper 20 is attached to the under side of the secondfixed step from the lower end of the stair casing and is in the path ofthe catch 17 and when the supplemental step is swung up as will behereinafter explained the said catch 17 engages the keeper and retainsthe supplemental step in elevated position.

The collars 21 are fixed to the shaft 1 and the bolts 22 are pivoted tothe said collar. Said bolts are provided with elongated slots 23 whichreceive the pins 24 which pass transversely through the lugs 25 and thesides of the supplemental step. A casing 26 is fixed to the under sideof the lower fixed step and is provided with the spring actuated keepers27, the ends of which project beyond the ends of the casing 26. The saidkeepers 27 are located in the paths of the ends of the bolts 22 and whenengaged by the said bolts retreat within the casing 26 and when clearedby the bolts are moved into extended positions by their actuatingsprings and pass below the bolts and hold the swinging steps in fixedlowered position.

Presuming that the swinging step is in its uppermost position in orderto lower the same it is necessary that the operator grasp the free endof the lever 4 and withdraw the end of the spring actuated pawl 8 fromthe notch '7 of the guide 6. Then the free end of the said lever isswung down and the engagement of the gear segment 5 with the gear wheel3 causes the shaft 1 to rotate. By reason of the fact that the pins 12are located in the elongated slots 11 of the bearings 10 thesupplemental step does not move with the initial movement of the saidshaft, but the arm 14 does move as soon as does the said shalt.Consequently the elongated opening 15 moves transversely of the crossrod 13 and when the end of the said opening comes in contact with thesaid cross-rod the link 16 has been moved longitudinally and the catch17 has been moved upon its pivot against the tension of the spring 19until the said catch has been swung out of the path oi the keeper 20, atwhich time, the pins 12 have arrived at the ends of the slots 11 and thesaid swinging step then moves positively with the shaft 1 and is loweredunder the fixed steps.

In order to elevate the swinging step the lever 4 is swung up whichrotates the shaft 1 in the direction opposite to that above indicated.As above described, the swinging step does not move in unison with theinitial movement of said shaft but said collars being positively fixedto the shaft turn with the same and move the bolts 22 longitudinallyfrom under the keepers 27; consequently when the pins 12 arrive at theends of the elongated slots 11 in the bearings and the elongated opening15 of the arm 14 at its end comes in contact with the rod 13, the saidswinging step is moved into elevated position. When the catch 17 engagesthe keeper 20 the spring acuated pawl 8 enters the notch 7 of the guideG'and the parts are locked in the positions indicated.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters-Patent is:

1. In combination with a stair casing, a swinging step comprising ashaft journaled to the stair casing, means for rotating said shaft, aswinging step mounted uponv the shaft, an arm mounted upon the shaft andhaving an elongated slot, :1 cross-rod attached to the sides of theswinging step and passing through said slot, means for retaining saidswinging step in fixed positions at the extremes of its movement one ofsaid means being connected with said arm and the other with the shaftwhereby one retaining means is operated at the initial movement of theshaft and the other at the initial movement of the arm.

2. In combination with a stair casing, a swinging step comprising ashaft journaled to the casing, means for retating said shaft, a swingingstep mounted upon the shaft and having elongated openings in itsbearings, pins attached to the shaft and being located in said openings,and adapted to actuate the step when they come in contact with the endsof the openings, means for retaining the said swinging step in itsextreme positions and means connected with the shaft for operating thesaid retaining means at the initial movement of the shaft.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto ailixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

ROBERT MITCHELL LAMB.

Witnesses G. W. BRANDON, .T. S. N. DAVIS, Jr.

